§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the European Community Labour and Social Affairs Council held in Luxembourg on 9 June.
§ Mr. CopeI represented the United Kingdom at the Council. The Council adopted a directive on the proscription of four named carcinogens and reached a common position, by qualified majority, on draft directives on the protection of workers from risks related to exposure to benzene at work and on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to chemical, physical and biological agents at work. The United Kingdom supported these proposals.
The Council agreed a timetable, proposed by the current presidency and the next two presidencies, Greece and Spain (the "troika") for further work on proposals for health and safety at work.
Progress reports on the draft directives on the protection of workers from risks related to exposure to carcinogens at work and on equal treatment for men and women in social security were considered.
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1976–77 £ 1977–78 £ 1978–79 £ 1979–80 £ 1980–81 £ 1981–82 £ 1982–83 £ 1983–84 £ 1984–85 £ 1985–86 £ 1986–87 £ Home Helps Total expenditure adjusted (gross) by: 1. General inflation 15,929,151 16,849,213 16,493,319 17,589,476 17,437,008 19,121,166 19,111,228 19,077,831 18,693,439 19,420,215 18,845,131 2. Personal social services inflation 15,945,229 17,527,042 17,531,547 18,525,685 18,109,760 19,405,982 19,411,458 19,238,643 18,922,634 19,722,556 18,845,131 Number of home helps 11,758 12,537 12,971 13,285 13,163 14,146 14,272 14,187 13,771 13,430 12,727 (Whole time equivalents) — 3,244 3,167 3,189 3,076 3,216 3,364 3,304 3,186 3,213 3,080 Elderly persons receiving home help service — 16,260 17,161 19,282 18,220 21,600 23,270 23,650 23,929 25,399 25,592 There was a general discussion about the direction of future progress on the draft framework directive on health and safety in the workplace and on the associated draft workplace safety directive.